Stop spending $5 for postage, make it $1.75

[amgracing]

I stumbled across an offer from stamps.com that gives you a free 5 lb digital postage scale that plugs into your computer, $45 in postage, and supplies.

Priority mail is expensive, for a small box it costs $5 dollars.

I weighed the same small box plus 5 sticks and the label was 1.75, so the only bombs that should cost $5 to ship are the mega funkejj bombs.

sign up at http://www.avery.com/postage
(this link will send you to stamps.com)

you have to pay shipping on the scale but thats all and they send you the following:

Free 5lb scale- $50 value
$45 in postage
Free supplies kit
4-week trial

 

[AlohaStyle]

Yeah I just dropped off the regular small USPS Priority flat rate box we all use yesterday with a 5er in it and the lady said... "you sure you don't want to send this 1st class? It would only be $2.xx." It was going from the west coast to the east coast and she said it would take 3 days, the same as the Priority box. You can use a DC # on 1st class too, no difference.

She did say it could be a days difference going halfway across the country or real close, but just a day at max.

So the question is, are there small boxes like these for free anywhere? That's the big convenience... the free boxes.

 

[amgracing]

but the free boxes make you spend 5 bucks to ship them, its one hell of a marketing plan. Im going to check on that

 

[AlohaStyle]

you have to pay shipping on the scale but thats all and they send you the following:

Free 5lb scale- $50 value
$45 in postage
Free supplies kit
4-week trial

I looked into this awhile ago too, but I am not paying their charge after the free 1st month. Below is what they charge you after one month...

You can even try Stamps.com for 4 weeks with no risk or upfront charges. If you continue past the trial, you’ll pay just $17.99 per month.

 

[Clint]

So I guess the monthly fees (after the trial period) could save money for some folks, but not for everyone.

Great info...It seems like it's worth looking into to save some extra $$!

 

[Nuckz23]

Just use the priority boxes and wrap them in brown paper. Ship them 1st class and pay less.

 

[Danilo]

Just use the priority boxes and wrap them in brown paper. Ship them 1st class and pay less.

but the time and cost of brown paper... might as well pay the 5 bux...
at least online you get free DC, but you pay for the ink and the paper in the printer

 

[Starz26]

Sometimes it is just easier to pay the extra few buck for convenience and extra day especially for items like cigars that can be affected by the weather, heat more so than cold....

 

[Vegan702]

When you figure in the cost of the box, labels, etc. the $4.85 you pay online to ship the small box is a bargain. Heck, you can even have them come pick it up at your house! Once you figure in getting boxes, labels, driving to the post office, etc. these priority mail boxes are cheap. I am all for saving money when possible, but in this case I don't think you can.

 

[AlohaStyle]

Yeah, it just boils down to convenience and what people prefer. My local post office is on my normal drive home and out to places, so it's very easy for me just to stop in and pay for my flat rate boxes there.

I have done the online payment, but to me it's not worth getting free DC. It takes me a lot longer to go online, input the address and payment info, printing out the label, cutting it out, then taping it to the box. Plus you are using more tape.

So for me, I prefer to stop at the post office and pay $5.65 or whatever it is...

But this is good thread and will give new ideas to people, including me. Thanks

 

[amgracing]

all good points, well the info is there for those who want it, i run a business and we do alot of mailing so this is convenient for me, they'll still pick it all up.

 

[stogies&hoagies]

I think you can just turn the free boxes inside out and tape 'em up that way.

 

[dpricenator]

I think you can just turn the free boxes inside out and tape 'em up that way.

Now that seems like it would have come to me already, but I guess I'm just as slow as the rest of these guys.

 

[amgracing]

I think you can just turn the free boxes inside out and tape 'em up that way.

experiment time

 

[mav_sd]

The inside of the box still says priority mail... seems the PO has thought of the inside out strategy.

 

[amgracing]

they already thought about that, it says priority mail postage required inside

 

[srduggins]

Must be fairly recent as I remember getting inside out priority boxes in the past.

 

[David]

Must be fairly recent as I remember getting inside out priority boxes in the past.

Yep...I have done the same so it must be a recent change.

 

[swat253]

I received two NFC board cigar prizes and they were both in priority mailers. One showed a 2.10 fee and the other was 5.70... I weighed them and they were both under a half pound. Don't know how the Bro did it, but he saved some serious cash.

 

[lafayettelauren]

The inside of the box still says priority mail... seems the PO has thought of the inside out strategy.

Yep, they are all over it. They used to give out free rolls of priority mail shipping tape also until they found out people were using it for UPS and other stuff too.